TLC D&D World: Anoeris, Incandescent Land of Valor
TLC’s Dungeon Master shares some insight on the future D&D 5E show. Next up, Anoeris, Incandescent Land of Valor. Home to the Sun Elves.
Cover image: “African Elf” by LindseyWArt.
Post Archive
Shadowrun: Anarchy Review
Catalyst Labs released Shadowrun: Anarchy this past week, and naturally I picked up a nice PDF copy. I then printed out that copy and stuck it in a binder. And then I read it. And let me tell you, I liked what I saw. Shadowrun is notorious at this point for having an overly complex system of dice pools, character creation, and in fifth edition, matrix and astral plane actions in addition to everything that happens on the physical plane. Trapped in a musty cellar? You can alter players’ dice pools on the conditions. Need to hack into some club’s server for a mission? Get out your dice. It’s no surprise that most GMs, myself included, offload some of these things to their players. You wanna register this sprite? Do your tests. Be honest if you glitched.
The Rundown
Shadowrun: Anarchy (or just Anarchy from here on out) seeks to correct some of these things. Most notably, it emphasizes the fact that it’s a collaborative storytelling effort. The GM is there to guide the story along with the help of the players, not so much create a world that players inhabit. From the get-go I can see Anarchy being great for one-off campaigns where people don’t have a lot of time to sit down and plan a run.
That being said, Anarchy gives players and GMs a lot to work with when it comes to character resources. NPCs and player characters have a dedicated chapter which includes a smattering of 60 fully-realized, fully-playable characters in every species, race, gender, and archetype imaginable. It’s incredible how many are in the book. In addition, Anarchy gives GMs a variety of goons to throw at their players. These range from large rats to small dragons and everything in between.
Playing the Game
Anarchy’s character creation process is pretty straightforward. Characters pick their metatype, helps and hindrances, and character-defining cues. This is what’s new to Shadowrun in this version. As opposed to a dedicated GM running a sandbox that players get to experience, the GM acts as that one guy in an improv play that knows what they’re doing. In fact, most of Anarchy is like an improv play: there’s a lot more responsibility on the players to keep the story moving. Turns of gameplay are broken up into narrations, and players can expend plot points to make the story go where they want it to or keep their characters… you know, alive. Which is something I appreciate.
The cue system, as it’s called, gives players plot points to start out with and at the GM’s discretion, gives them more for exceptional narrations. Players do cool things, players get rewarded. Players have a say in the story. If they don’t like it, they can change it. It’s an engaging, fast-paced change from the typical tabletop model where decisions can come back to haunt players. In long-term campaigns, that still persists, though in shorter one-offs, it’s a lot more hands on.
Playing the game this past week went about as smoothly as I’d hoped. The premade characters helped out a lot. (GM Tip: Put character sheets in page sleeves so that players can use dry-erase markers on them. Pencils can tear paper and it keeps the sheets in pretty good condition.) The three players I had picked out characters with ease and we got down to running. We poked fun at the dad-joke cues that some of the characters had, and I led them on a run.
A sample Anarchy character sheet.
Quirks and Overall Adaptability
I think the hardest thing about running a game of Anarchy was letting go of a lot of the control you have as GM. As a fiction writer primarily, I have set places I want my stories to go and I spend a lot of time building the world they take place in. I’ve been worldbuilding for our upcoming Shadowrun show for weeks, and I still have a fair bit to go. I want things to be as realized and intricate to my players as they are to me. Anarchy takes a bit of that away because players can change things so easily. It’s not something I was really prepared for at first.
Another thing is some places in the book that haven’t exactly been proofread. Some paragraphs reference the alpha test version of Anarchy, which is pretty funny to look at now. Then again, every first-edition has its quirks.
There are other things that just come with the nature of Shadowrun. There are still a lot of rules, and some of them aren’t explained so well. I still have no idea how to orchestrate matrix or astral combat, let alone meatspace combat. Even though skills have been greatly simplified, it’ll take some getting used to.
Also: players get three plot points to start each game session. I mistakenly gave them none. (Sorry guys.) Other than the fact that getting used to a different version of pen and paper RPGs takes time, I didn’t see a problem with it. Catalyst Labs also included a guide on how to convert Shadowrun 5E to Anarchy and vice-versa. Which is incredible. The cues system really exists as something that can be removed, as well, so adapting it to a different setting wouldn’t be a stretch by any means.
Final Thoughts
While I enjoy the finer details of Shadowrun’s vanilla 5th edition, I find myself wanting to use Anarchy in more and more campaigns. It’s good news for my players, it offloads some of the nitty-gritty things that GMs go through, and it makes for a really nice experience overall. It’s interesting to see a pen-and-paper RPG styled more like a board game than anything else, and I like the direction Catalyst Labs went with Anarchy. To me, it’s a kind of party trick to keep in my back pocket. Anarchy makes it quick and easy to get a few friends together and run a session. It’s an incredible introduction to some of the conventions of tabletop RPGs, and Anarchy presents it in an easy-to-learn format. 10/10, Catalyst Labs. Well done.
Overall, I’m super in love with this release. Can you tell?
Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures: Darkstalkers 3
Image courtesy of the Capcom Database Wiki
Darkstalkers 3 is one fast paced, yet incredibly fun, fighting game
Darkstalkers 3 is one of Capcom’s biggest cult hits in the fighting game genre. Similar to the rest of the Darkstalkers series, Darkstalkers 3 sets itself apart from other fighting games at the time. It’s extensive roster of horror movie monsters, spooky techno/jazz soundtrack and some of the most engaging fighting game mechanics keep Darkstalkers 3 fun. It’s also one of the fastest fighters in Capcom’s library.
Vampire vs Succubus! Only in Darkstalkers. Image courtesy of VG Museum.
Equipped with envelope pushing features, Darkstalkers 3 was quietly released in 1997 in arcades, and was not a major hit. The popularity of the then-new Capcom vs series overshadowed Darkstalkers 3. The game was also marketed as Vampire Savior, which may have confused gamers. Home ports did not fare much better. The Sega Saturn port was Japan-exclusive and the PlayStation 1 was mostly ignored.
Original arcade flyer with the name confusion. Image courtesy of Hardcore Gaming 101.
Even when Capcom rereleased this game with it’s solid prequel Night Warriors for PSN and Xbox Live Arcade as Darkstalkers Resurrection, the general gaming public did not notice. It’s a shame, since Darkstalkers 3 truly is one of the most addictive and hard hitting fighting games out there. It deserves to be played by any fighting game fan. And with its horror themed atmosphere, it’s perfect to play during the Halloween season.
Darkstalkers 3’s fighting mechanics are top notch
The fighting properties in Darkstalkers 3 are the definition of addictive and will have players coming back for more in no time.
J. Talbain v J. Talbain to see who is the most badass, kung fu werewolf! Image courtesy of VG Museum.
Darkstalkers 3, and by extension the rest of the series, is more than just Street Fighter meets Universal Monsters. It’s a very technical series, where air blocking, dashing and timing with super meters is the norm. Darkstalkers 3 continues this trend, but welcomes additions. For instance, players can enhance special attacks by taking a chunk out of their special meter. Instead of utilizing a super, the player can instead chain a standard special with this feature. The game also introduces the Dark Force EX special mode, which is similar to the Super Art mode in the Street Fighter III sub-series.
This new feature to the series allows for quicker, more concise matches. For a game known for being technical, having the ability to blow through a match in a short period of time is great. Make no mistake, Darkstalkers 3 is a blisteringly fast fighting game, but it also requires a good amount of skill play it.
Luckily for new players, the controls are not difficult to learn. Anyone who has played any Capcom fighter will feel right at home with Darkstalkers 3’s control set up. Chaining combos and launching special attacks with come as easy as tying one’s shoes.
A shockingly balanced roster, eye-catching graphics and a solid soundtrack round out Darkstalkers 3
For many gamers, a good roster in a fighting game is what matters most. Darkstalkers 3 has a sublime roster lined with creative characters. The roster contains the series’ trademark originality. The busty succubi Morrigan and Lilith, catgirl Felicia, the vampire Dimitri and fan favorites J. Talbain, the nunchuck wielding werewolf and Eddie the Head’s long lost twin brother Lord Raptor. Newcomers include Q Bee, a human-esque bee and BB Hood, who is what happens when Little Red Riding Hood has Deadpool’s personality.
The whole freakin’ roster! With the two *ahem* MOST popular fighters at the forefront. Image courtesy of Fighters Generation.
Darkstalkers 3 contains one of the most badass villains in any fighting game. Jedah Domah is a stoic and ruthless demon, who has some disturbing special attacks. His ultimate plan is to destroy the universe and build it back up as he sees fit.
Jedah taking on the Frankenstein’s Monster inspired character, Victor. Image courtesy of Fighter’s Generation
Disturbing describes the game’s graphics in many instances. Backgrounds range from a jungle with sadistic plants, a post-apocalyptic city or a satanic fetus. They are all colorful, yet creepy, and fit the vibe. With the game taking place in the demon world, known as Makai, it makes sense to have weird and eerie settings for fights.
There it is folks, the fetus. Pure nightmare fuel. Image courtesy of VG Museum.
However, the rest of the game’s graphics are incredible.Anyone taking a look at Darkstalkers 3 will notice it feels like a mid-90s Marvel Comic book. The is game full of vibrant colors and heavy on action. Sprites well animated and fluid. Darkstalkers 3’s animations even rival the almighty Street Fighter III: Third Strike. Animations will perfectly reflect the fighters personality, especially BB Hood who is full of expressions. Special moves are an absolute delight to look at as well.
BB Hood calling in the cavalry! Image courtesy of Hardcore Gaming 101.
To top it off, the soundtrack a good mix of atmospheric and moody horror with techno-jazz.
One of Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures
Darkstalkers 3 and the rest of the franchise is sadly forgotten about by Capcom. The absolute best way to play the game is to download it through PSN or Xbox Live Arcade. It appears on various collections, including Darkstalkers Chronicle: the Chaos Tower on the PSP. Copies are relatively expensive though.
Darkstalkers 3 is simply just fun to play and will wow players with its uniqueness. It does not condescend new or returning players and anyone watching will be in awe over how gorgeous the game is. Sticking around for the excellent, fine-tuned gameplay helps enhance playing. Playing this game on All Hallow’s Eve also adds to the experience.
Divorce, Chickens, and Copper | Ep.33
This week it’s some Stardew Valley, talk of early childhood, and that one moment in Bioshock Infinite.
Thanks to Sydney and Colin who sent us questions this week! They’re both linked below.
Podcast (lifecast): Play in new window | Download
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TLC D&D World: Balasian, Golden Sands of Trade
TLC’s Dungeon Master shares some insight on the future D&D 5E show. Next up, Balasian, Golden Sands of Trade, Home to the Gold Dwarves.
“Gold Dwarf” by Bryan Syme
Point Five | Ep.32.5
Since we had another extra bit, we grabbed everyone we could and we had a rip-roaring good time.
Host/Producer: Deanna Minasian
Co-Hosts: Sydney Smith, Adam Osmani, Pat Bowden, Dan Silvia, Kennedy Parker, Greg Fernandes, Colin Barry
Intro/Outro: Tiffany Ma
Podcast (lifecast): Play in new window | Download
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Demographic | Ep.32
This week, Colin joins us! And we discuss some things.
Host/Producer: Deanna Minasian
Intro/Outro: Tiffany Ma
Podcast (lifecast): Play in new window | Download
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TLC D&D World: Ashur Raam, Hectic Land of Invention
TLC’s Dungeon Master shares some insight on the future D&D 5E show. First up, Ashur Raam, Hectic Land of Invention. Home to the Rock Gnomes.
“Desert Wanderers” By JadrienC
Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures: Space Jam
![Image result for space jam [playstation game]](https://i0.wp.com/www.loveroms.com/assets/data/playstation/space-jam-u-slus-playstation.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1)
Image courtesy of idrgames.com.br
urges players to…COME ON AND SLAM!
Space Jam was an exceptionally popular movie in the 90s. The film, starring Michael Jordan and a wide variety of Looney Tunes, became a brief cultural phenomenon. The film’s soundtrack went several times platinum and merchandise became a huge hit for families.
The long list of merchandising also includes an amusing video game adaptation. Space Jam was released in 1996, a few months after the film. Similar to many video game adaptations at the time, it was annihilated by critic. Many critics wrote it off as a bad NBA Jam clone.
However, this is a movie where Warner Bros. cartoons play basketball against aliens. Aliens, who have stolen the talent of the NBA’s biggest stars of the 90s. It’s a movie not meant to be taken seriously, let alone a video game adaption. What did video game journalists back in 1996 think they were getting into?
Space Jam on the original PlayStation, Sega Saturn or PC is a fun, little basketball game that is a great way to kill some time. It’s also a decently competitive multiplayer game, as any pick-up-and-play sports game can be. It also has a great cast of Looney Tunes for the fans of their classic shorts.
Space Jam is NBA Jam…but with Looney Tunes
Instead of following the direct plot of the film, Space Jam instead gets right to the point. Space Jam makes playing basketball its main focus. Taking cue from the ever popular NBA Jam series, the game uses the 3-on-3 format for its games. Sculptured Software, the developers
The actual basketball is generally fun to play. Controls are very responsive and will fit like a glove to any NBA Jam veteran. They aren’t difficult to learn at all and the easy going nature of them will make the whole experience a blast. With the game being simple, anyone can play.
Aaaand…the tip off! Image courtesy of Moby Games.
Players can only choose from two teams, the Tune Squad and the Monstars. There is a chance to customize your team with different character lineups. This feature allows for more variation during gameplay for Space Jam. Sadly, “Hit ‘em High (Monstars Anthem)” does not play when the Monstars are introduced.
Tune Squad consists of MJ himself, Bugs Bunny, Taz and a few others including the token girl Lola Bunny. The Monstars are the big guys with all the NBA’s talent. It’s an odd statistic, but the Monstars have significantly worse stats than the Tune Squad.
The Holy Trinity of the Tune Squad. Image courtesy of Moby Games.
Each character has a special dunk, which can be activated easily on the court. The dunks in Space Jam can allow players to recreate MJ’s arm stretch dunk at the end of the film. It’s a little added touch of personality that makes Space Jam stand out a bit.
Space Jam’s graphics is entirely 2D, perfectly reflecting the Looney Tunes’ cartoonish nature. It’s colorful and full of energy, much like the classic cartoons. Audience members will be overly animated and even Danny DeVito’s character makes an appearance. It actually looks pretty great and even gives off a “retro” feel years later.
Mr. Swackhammer is not pleased, but Taz looks like he’s having fun. Image courtesy of www.vizzed.com.
Space Jam contains uneeded, but silly and entertaining, mini-games
In-between quarters, Space Jam will break away from basketball. The player will partake in some short mini-games. Two of them recreating scenes from the film and one original one starring Speedy Gonzalez. One of them has Daffy Duck trying to find Jordan’s shoes and jersey and the other has Bugs searching the locker room for the “Secret Stuff.”
Daffy’s epic quest to find MJ’s shoes! Image courtesy of Moby Games.
Overall, the mini games can seem forced, but they do have a certain charm. It’s nice to see Daffy get into shenanigans for a few laughs. However, they are fun to play and actually do help increase stats on whichever team “wins.”
One of Gaming’s Undervalued Treasures
Space Jam is not going to change the way any gamer looks at basketball video games. It’s an arcade style sports game based on a nostalgic 90s flick. This does not mean it’s a bad game or worth blowing off.
Space Jam is just a fun little game that does not try too hard. It know exactly what it is and just wants players to just turn their brains off for a bit. Fans of the movie should absolutely play it. No questions. For anyone looking for a quick basketball fix and are sick of NBA Jam, Space Jam will certainly provide a few good laughs.
The game is not expensive on sites like Amazon, depending on the version. If anyone is curious, you can purchase both the game and the movie for under 25 bucks.
Dad Tracking | Ep.31
This week, we reinvent ourselves and go back to our roots.
Host/Producer: Deanna Minasian
Intro/Outro: Tiffany Ma
Podcast (lifecast): Play in new window | Download
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Kirby Super Star, the 20th Anniversary
Image courtesy of Game FAQ
Kirby Super Star is one of many classic games celebrating a milestone this year. Along with Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot, Kirby Super Star is now 20 years old.
Released on the SNES in 1996, Kirby Super Star set itself apart from previous entries in the series. The game still had the series’ trademarked copy ability gameplay, colorful graphics and upbeat, addictive music.
However, to quote the 80s classic This is Spinal Tap, “It goes to eleven.”
Kirby Super Star offers players 25 unique copy abilities, eight creative sub-games to play and some of the best music on the SNES. It also contains one of the more distinct and entertaining two player modes in any platformer. The game also contains top notch controls.
After two decades and several legitimately fantastic entries in the series later, is Kirby Super Star still great? Are gamers looking through pink tinted glasses? Does its remake, Kirby Super Star Ultra, overshadow it? Or does Kirby Super Star still stand on its own and deserve to be put into every SNES owner’s collection?
What makes Kirby Super Star so great? Variety of course!
Similar to any work of art, there are several factors that make Kirby Super Star great and it’s strongest trait is its variety. Each of the sub-games are all creative and worth checking out at least once. However, a player should play them all in a row to get a true one-of-a-kind Kirby experience.
The variety in Super Star feels more concise and straight to the point than its remake. There is just enough sub-games where none of them feel tacked on and the copy abilities are a perfect assortment. The game is also not terribly long and overly stuffed.
Super Star Ultra adds a lot of mini-games and special modes, on top of the enhanced graphics and sound. However, Super Star Ultra is spread a little bit too thin. The extra stuff is just there. Getting the chance to throw down as Meta Knight is fun and the online multiplayer is great, but they aren’t particularly needed additions.
Copy Abilities are EVERYWHERE!
Along with the sub-games come the copy abilities. With 25 unique ways to defeat enemies, Kirby Super Star also introduces the Kirby Hats. Kirby will change color and wear a different hat or hairstyle to coincide with the ability. It’s a nice graphical change that keeps the variety up.
There is also not one copy ability that is not useless. The classic abilities of Fire, Sword and Stone are there. However, the more creative ones, Yo-Yo, Suplex and Ninja make appearances in Kirby Super Star. Fighter Kirby makes his first appearance in the game as well!
The game allows for experimentation, as it does not penalize you for not having a particular copy ability. If someone wants to play through only using Fire, they can! If they feel like switching out every few seconds, players can!
It’s strange to think about, there is a significant amount of freedom and choice in a Kirby game.
Twice the Fun with Two Players!
Playing the game as just Kirby is a fun time. Using the abilities to create a second player makes Kirby Super Star more of an unadulterated blast. Player twos will take control of one many cartoonish enemies Kirby copies abilities from. For example, if Kirby gets rid of his ability, than Player Two will become that enemy. It makes for some real fun gameplay combinations and silly, but fun, moments.
The “8 9 Games in 1!”
The whole game available on a corkboard. Image courtesy of Kirby Wiki.
Kirby Super Star boasts the “eight games in one” slogan right on the box. The games are all interesting and remarkable in their own right. The “eight games in one” schtick may appear gimmicky. It is technically nine, counting the mini-games. However, each sub-game contains its own story, challenge and even graphical aesthetics, along with slight positive updates to the gameplay.
Whispy Woods in 16-bit! Image courtesy of Game FAQs.
Spring Breeze is a loose remake of Kirby’s Dream Land, but now with the copy abilities. It’s a fantastic start to the game and hooks players in with its colorful graphics. Level design and bosses are all great, but it’s just an appetizer to the main course.
Fighting off Dyna Blade with two players! Image courtesy of VG Museum.
Dyna Blade is the first original game on deck. It’s up to Kirby to defeat the title character, who has been terrorizing Dream Land. The map system is a lot like Super Mario World, and is an extended version of Spring Breeze. It just happens to have better level design, boss fights and a memorable final one with Dyna Blade herself.
Finding treasures of all worth! Image courtesy of Moby Games.
The Great Cave Offensive is the Kirby series attempt at a Metroid style game. Kirby has fallen into a massive cave and find his way out, while spelunking for treasure. Also, Kirby must fight off several unique bosses, including one that is a hysterical parody of Final Fantasy’s turn based combat. The Great Cave Offensive is definitely the most difficult for players and it is a MASSIVE part of the game. However, there are players who don’t want to leave the caves and just keep exploring.
Gourmet Race has Kirby and the nefarious and hilarious King Dedede competing in a foot race to see who can eat the most food. The music is beyond memorable and has been remixed more than a few times. This is also a blast because of how competitive it is.
Revenge of Meta Knight, arguably the darkest of the eight games, has Kirby stopping his rival from conquering Dream Land. Meta Knight and his cronies send just about everything after Kirby, including a combat lobster and a MASSIVE gun. The speed run nature of the gameplay, appearance of the fan favorite Meta Knight and pulse pounding music make Revenge of Meta Knight one of the more memorable sub-games in Kirby Super Star. The dialogue between Meta Knight and his army is also enjoyable.
Kirby in the final battle of Milky Way Wishes! Image courtesy of VG Museum.
Finally, after blowing through each game, the player unlocks the penultimate sub-game, Milky Way Wishes. The Sun and Moon are fighting caused by an unknown entity. Kirby’s friend Marx shows up to help. Milky Way Wishes has Kirby traveling throughout the galaxy. Stopping from planet to planet, Kirby notices the damage the Sun and Moon are doing, which results in some unique level design and steep challenge. Milky Way Wishes is also the only game in the franchise to have the Copy Ability Deluxe feature, where Kirby must find the abilities and stock them. It also contains one of the best final bosses in any Kirby game.
Facing off against Meta Knight in the Arena! Image courtesy of https://happyhibisci.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/kirbys-super-star/
The Arena is Kirby Super Star’s boss rush mode and is easily the most difficult of all the sub-games. The Arena only gives the player five Maximum Tomatoes to recharge on health to fight all of the game’s bosses.
Rounding out Kirby Super Star are two mini-games. Megaton Punch and Samurai Kirby are quick games involving timing. Megaton has Kirby facing off against strong enemies by testing his strength. Samurai is stylish like a classic samurai film and has Kirby taking out enemies similar to the quick draw mini-game in Kirby’s Adventure. The two mini-games are fun to play around with when you need a break from the actual game.
Everything Else Fires on All Cylinders
Kirby Super Star’s other features like its graphics, controls and sound are about as flawless as a 2D platformer can be. No one will ever feel like they are out of control or they won’t brush off the graphics as being “just another SNES game.” And no one will be able to not hum the theme to “Gourmet Race” after playing it. It goes without saying the features that make up video games (controls, graphics, etc..) are phenomenal in Kirby Super Star.
The Great Cave Offensive is perfect for showing off the graphical capabilities of the SNES. Image courtesy of Moby Games.
There are many SNES games that are as colorful and full of energy and take full advantage of the superior sound capabilities. Kirby Super Star absolutely deserves to be on the list of SNES greats like Super Metroid or Chrono Trigger in terms of using the hardware to its full potential.
My personal experience with the game…
I first played Kirby Super Star back in 1999. One of my childhood friends had an elusive SNES still kicking and owned a copy of Kirby Super Star. Now, I had only played Kirby’s Dream Land 2 on the Game Boy, so to say my experience with the Kirby franchise was limited is accurate. On my friend’s birthday, we all decided to head over in his basement and start playing away.
Within the next few hours, I don’t remember playing anything else but Kirby Super Star. All I wanted to do was conquer the Halberd as Kuckel Joe one more time. I wanted give back the food to Dream Land from Dyna Blade or just race King Dedede. I wanted to play as every enemy who had Kirby’s abilities. I just wanted to play this game!
As the years went by and several “edgy/mer-I-hate-Nintendo” phases later, I bought a Wii. Mostly to play games on the Virtual Console.
One summer, I downloaded Kirby Super Star from the Virtual Console on a whim. The same feelings I had when I played the game back in 1999 came flooding back nearly 11 years later. The gameplay still held up after all these years and I couldn’t believe it. I even found myself enjoying it more than the other Kirby games I downloaded.
Not counting RPGs, it’s the most played game on the Virtual Console for me.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the Kirby franchise and will always love Kirby Super Star. It’s one of the few video games where I can play for five minutes or five hours and still be happy. To me, it’s the only Kirby game that feels fresh every single time I boot it up. Kirby Super Star is just simply fun. It doesn’t tell a deep story, it does not completely reinvent platforming. Kirby Super Star just does everything right and keeps players entertained, no matter what.
For those who are curious, Revenge of Meta Knight is my personal favorite sub-game and the Yo-Yo ability is my favorite Kirby copy ability of all time.
Kirby Super Star is still great even after two decades and a remake
Ask any Kirby fan what their personal favorite is in the series and it will usually differ. However, one game in the series all fans can agree is legitimately great is Kirby Super Star. The perfect graphics, sound and control build up the experience. It is the gameplay that is chock full of diversity and choices that sets it apart.
Kirby Super Star does its job so well that it is the measuring stick for many Kirby games have copied it. It’s also a game many gamers have fond memories of.
Happy 20th, Kirby Super Star! A game this legitimately great after all these years deserves to be played by anyone. It truly is one of the best SNES games and an honest classic.
Happy 20th Kirby Super Star and a happy 24th to you too, Kirby! Image courtesy of Game FAQs.
Would you Kindly Read my Thoughts on Bioshock: The Collection?
Let me preface this by saying that I don’t hate the recent glut of collection games that have been coming out in the last ~5 years. And just so we’re all on the same page, a collection game is a re-release of a game or several games, now in an HD format. I do wish that a lot of the studios remastering their old games would make new content, yes, but now that gaming is making such graphical and technical leaps faster than ever, I think it’s important that older, beloved games aren’t left behind and get forgotten, and eventually unplayable because there’s simply no other way to play them unless you have their original console. For both new and old fans, it’s a hassle unless a re-release of the game is made. Bioshock is an interesting case: It was released in 2007 on the PS3/360. It’s almost 10 years old, but in the grand scheme of things and the typical age of games that get re-released on collection discs, it’s not that old. Additionally, Bioshock is a beautiful game. Despite being an early title in its console generation, graphically it remains one of the most beautiful games on the PS3/360–both it and it’s sequel Bioshock Infinite that came out late into the PS3/360’s life in 2013. So why re-release them?
Personally, I don’t think that the creation of the Collection was necessary right now. Make no mistake, I’m very happy to see these games re-released: Bioshock is my favorite game of all time. Bioshock Infinite is another one of my all time favorites. The only qualm I have about re-releasing these games is the timing. The oldest game in this bunch is the first Bioshock, which will be 10 years old next year. Especially considering how graphically advanced Bioshock was at the time it came out, I just don’t think it needs to be remastered in HD just quite yet. It’s only one console generation behind, after all. Bioshock Infinite, on the other hand, is barely 3 years old–it’s plenty recent enough that people still remember it, love it, talk about it, and play it all the time. If that wasn’t enough, there’s several packs on the PS3 and 360 available right now with 2/3 games on it (Bioshock 1+2, Bioshock Infinite+1), and a version of Infinite you can buy with Burial at Sea already on it as well. To me, it feels as though the Collection was just released so there could be a PS4/XBOne port of the series. Personally I don’t think most games need to be remastered or ported–especially when they’re so readily available on Steam, as each Bioshock game is–until they’re at least 2 console generations behind.
Does this look like it needs to be remastered in HD? Honestly? via store.steampowered.com
So let’s get into the meat of this review: Is buying the Collection worth the sweat of your brow? Allow me to first make the disclaimer that I bought the physical PS4 version of this game since my PC isn’t powerful enough to run any of the Bioshock games–even if it was, I don’t have 70GB available to put it on. In any case, as far as my experience with Bioshock: The Collection goes, the short answer of my earlier questions is yes, it’s worth it if you’re a fan of the series and you see yourself replaying any of these games at least a few times, or you want everything on 2 convenient discs rather than 2-3. If this is your way of getting into the franchise, however, you’d probably be better off buying the games separately on Steam/PS3/360 until the price goes down.
The Collection is currently $60 and contains Bioshock 1 and its DLC the Museum of Orphaned Concepts and Challenge Room, Bioshock 2 and its DLC Minerva’s Den and Protector Trials, and Bioshock Infinite and its DLC Clash in the Clouds, Columbia’s Finest, and Burial at Sea episodes 1 and 2. In addition to all that, there’s interviews about Bioshock with Ken Levine (creator of the Bioshock series) and Shawn Robertson (animation lead and director in Bioshock 1 and Infinite respectively) sprinkled throughout. In other words, you’re getting every Bioshock game, all the DLC, plus some interviews. The only corner the Collection cuts is the multiplayer options in Bioshock 2. The reasons behind the cut of the multiplayer hasn’t yet been clarified, but as someone who never particularly cared for the multiplayer options in Bioshock 2 (or Bioshock 2 in general) it doesn’t particularly matter to me. It does, however, leave me extremely curious about why 2K would put so much effort into including literally everything else plus extras and leave that out.
The multiplayer aside though, each of the Bioshock games can be bought at a decent price if you’re buying physical copies–usually around $10-20 used, depending on the condition. In theory, you could buy Bioshock 1, 2, and Infinite separately and only spend slightly more than half of what you would on the Collection–and that’s if you buy them all singularly, rather than buy them in a pack, as I mentioned earlier. Regardless of what you do, if you’re buying physical copies, you’ll likely be spending $30-40 on the whole series. On Steam it’s harder to gauge the price since they each go on sale so frequently. My best advice would be to wait for them to go on sale, and if you’re lucky, you’d probably be spending about the same price that you would if you’d bought physical copies–possibly less depending on the sale. In any case, although the Collection has graphics that are only slightly improved, exclusive interviews, and the convenience aspect of having the whole series right there, if the price of a game is your selling point then the Collection probably isn’t worth it unless the graphics, interviews, and convenience are worth an extra $20 for you.
via youtube.com
Another thing several fans are critiquing the Collection for is that it hasn’t fixed some of the glitches in Bioshock Infinite. Although Bioshock Infinite isn’t necessarily a glitchy game, it does suffer from a few hiccups here and there. It’s usually just simple things like the occasional clipping graphics and textures, but there are a few small glitches. None of them are major, none of them break the game, and there’s not that many to begin with. Most of them are simply clipping graphics. Although none of them major flaws, they do feel very out of place in an otherwise gorgeous game. Most fans, myself included, expected that most of these small glitches would be patched up in the Collection, but so far, people are reporting that there have been no changes. The PC version, on the other hands, seems to have a few issues of its own that aren’t present in the console Collection, or the original versions of the games. For that reason and because as I already mentioned, the console ports are likely the entire reason 2K made the Collection in the first place, I’d recommend the console version of the Collection over the PC version.
If you’re already a huge fan of Bioshock who wants a new way to immerse yourself in the elaborate universe(s) of the game, I think the Collection is incredible. It’s convenient, has lots of extra content, and at the end of the day, it’s a current-gen port of 2 wonderful games, their DLC, and Bioshock 2. If you’re not a huge fan of Bioshock but a fan nonetheless and just wondering if this is a good port, it can be if you’re wanting a PS4/XBOne port of these games–otherwise, it’s probably a better idea to wait for the price on the Collection to go down. The current price tag of $60 isn’t outrageous, it’s the standard price of a new triple-A console title right now and is honestly a fair price for all the content you’re getting in the Collection, I just think it’s odd to pay that much when you can just as easily get the entire series ~$20 cheaper without missing too much of the content. If you’re not a fan of Bioshock and wondering if you should use this to get into the franchise, although you can if you want and should if you really like the idea of having all the games, DLC, and extra content on 2 discs, I wouldn’t recommend it solely because the graphics are only slightly better, I’m sure the extra content will be available online eventually, and you can buy each of the games individually with the DLC for a grand total of ~$40.
Again, I’d like to emphasize: Bioshock 1 and Infinite are my favorite games of all time. As a huge fan of Bioshock, the Collection was worth it for me. I love the extra content and the convenience of the Collection, I just wish that they had waited longer to release it–until a time when the graphical changes could be noticeably better, until they could patch the hiccups in Bioshock Infinite, until the Bioshock games aren’t as extremely accessible as they are now. Until it were at least 2 console generations behind. These are games I will (and am, in fact, currently) replay time and time again. Additionally, listening to the interviews and learning more about the production of Bioshock has been a very fun experience for me. If you’re as big a fan of Bioshock as me, I can’t recommend the Collection enough. If you’re not that big a fan and just looking for an easy way to play the Bioshock games, it’ll likely be more budget friendly for you to buy them all separately or wait a few months for the price of the Collection to go down. Regardless of your decision, these games are astounding. If you’re reading this to find out whether or not I’d recommend the Bioshock games, Collection or no Collection, the answer is yes, I’d recommend them more than any other game ever made.
via platstation.com